Vivid Memories

It’s Friday – the day where I join other bloggers and take five short minutes to just write from the heart. Five Minute Friday is hosted by Gypsy Mama and this week’s prompt is VIVID. 

I have vivid memories of my childhood. Although it took me growing up to realize it, I was blessed with two amazing parents who gave my brother and I every opportunity they could.


I remember summers at my Grandparents house, trips to Disney World, football games, birthday parties with amazing cakes made by Momma, slumber parties, movies on Christmas Eve, astronomy club meetings with my Dad, and so much more. I carry those memories with me now.

I hope that I’m providing Noah with the same type of childhood my parents provided me with. I hope he has vivid memories to carry with him as he grows. 

Lights, Santa, and Animals: Oh My!

On Sunday night we took Noah to a local wildlife park called Hollywild. Each year during the Christmas season, Hollywild hosts a benefit called “the Holiday Lights Safari Benefit.” The blurb on their website sums it up pretty well. 

You drive your own vehicle through nearly 100 acres magically decorated with millions of twinkling lights, dazzling holiday themes, light sculptures, a life-sized Nativity, plus HERDS OF LIVE ANIMALS and much more. 

We had never been to Hollywild at Christmas time and it was an experience that we won’t soon forget. 


Noah had a blast and I was so impressed with his behavior! We had to wait in line (in our car) for about twenty minutes while we slowly crept forward to the entrance. He waited pretty paitently. Once finally inside the park, we noticed other people re-arranging where their children were sitting in their vehicles. Many people in SUVs were leaving the back open and putting their children in the back. This wasn’t a good option for Noah so we quickly decided to let him sit in the front with me so that he could see better and we could see his reactions. We later realized this was a very wise idea; I don’t think he would have enjoyed things nearly as much as he did if we hadn’t. 


While the lights were nice, the “forest” where the animals roam free was our favorite part. It was SO cool. We saw a zebra, an ostrich, tons of deer, and more!  Before entering the “forest” we bought some animal food (which was just broken up bread) and were able to feed the animals right from the car. Noah absolutely loved this! 


There was also a huge ox amongst the roaming animals. He decided to come pretty close and I got scared and quickly rolled up the window. That ox was seriously like an inch away from the window and he was nearly as big as our vehicle! Noah thought this (me being scared and rolling up the window quickly) was hilarious! 


After going through the forest twice, we headed to “Santa’s Village” where there are more animals, baby animals to be exact that you can pet and feed. You can also see Santa. We didn’t spend too much time in Santa’s Village as Noah was getting pretty tired at this point and it was pretty cold. We did stay long enough to get a picture with Santa and check out some more deer. 


Hollywild was just an awesome family experience and is something we will probably make a new family tradition for as long as Noah wants to go.

On the way to Hollywild -
Noah's shirt says, "Caution, I break for reindeer."

I loved the whale made of lights - reminded me of Jonah.

Deer roaming around the "forest"

Noah checks out a deer.

Noah and Santa

Thirteen Years Ago Today

Thirteen years ago today, October 25th, 1996 a very special little boy entered my life weighing in at a whopping 4 pounds and 12 ounces. He arrived six weeks early and that should have been a sign to me that he would always be an impatient little one. As that tiny little boy was whisked off to the NICU my world changed in a moment. I knew love as I never had before, I knew love as a Mother.

While Noah's birth was big news in my little world, it wasn't the only thing going on in the big world at the time.........

• Bill Clinton was President and Al Gore was Vice President.
• Gas was $1.29 a gallon.
• The Macarena by Los Del Rio, Because You Loved Me by Celine Dion, and Always Be my Baby by Mariah Carey were some of the hits.
• The English Patient won an Academy Award in ’96.
• Friends, The X Files, and Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman were some of the most popular TV shows at the time.

Source

Freeze this Moment

This morning Noah woke up at the crack of dawn. Seriously, he was up at about 6 AM. Apparently my little man is pretty excited about his birthday party tomorrow.

I guess he was thinking it was today but I set him straight. He was just in a great mood and being really really silly. I almost didn't mind him crawling into our room and climbing in our bed because he was just being so cute, silly, and funny. 

As I layed and watched him, I thought to myself, "can we just freeze this moment?" It was good. It was sweet. I knew it would be worth remembering.So I grabbed the camera (it's never very far away from me!) and snapped a few shots of Noah being silly and excited on his birthday eve.The pictures are not the best quality but I wasn't worried about lighting, I wasn't thinking of composition, I was just thinking that the memory was going to be burned into my heart and the picture would just be an additional bonus.